Chad has worked in the specialty coffee industry for more than 20 years. During much of that time he led the coffee program at Caribou Coffee and worked to improve coffee quality standards for the brand while ensuring mutually beneficial relationships throughout the supply chain. Chad champions responsible sourcing practices and in 2003, Caribou made a commitment to source an ever-increasing portion of coffees from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. By the end of 2011, 100% of the company's coffee was certified—nearly 20 million pounds. Chad led efforts transitioning existing origin partners and suppliers through the certification process to truly transform their operations instead of simply abandoning long-term relationships in favor of certified sources. Today he engages in consulting work with a focus on work that helps to articulate the challenges of our industry and highlights innovative and business saavy ways for us to respond responsibly. In addition to his consulting role for the industry, Chad is on the Specialty Coffee Association of America's board of directors and serves as the board liaison to the Sustainability Council; a group dedicated to ensuring the specialty coffee industry stays on the leading edge of sustainable practices and discussions.